Systems and methods for improving wireless mesh networks

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a first wireless communication node comprising a first communication module that includes a first baseband unit configured to handle baseband processing for the first communication module, a first RF unit configured to define a frequency range of radio signals for the first communication module, and a first antenna unit configured to generate a first extremely-narrow beam that facilitates exchange of radio signals with at least one other wireless communication node. The first wireless communication node may also comprise a second communication module that includes a second baseband unit configured to handle baseband processing for the second communication module, a second RF unit configured to define a frequency range of radio signals for the second communication module, and a second antenna unit configured to generate a second extremely-narrow beam that facilitates exchange of radio signals with at least one other wireless communication node.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to (i) U.S. Provisional App. No.62/696,688, filed Jul. 11, 2018, and entitled “METHODS FOR BUILDINGWIRELESS MESH NETWORK,” (ii) U.S. Provisional App. No. 62/753,885, filedOct. 31, 2018, and entitled “METHODS OF BUILDING 60 GHZ MESH BASEDNETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE FOR BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY BASED PLATFORMS,” (iii)U.S. Provisional App. No. 62/771,508, filed Nov. 26, 2018, and entitled“A METHOD FOR IMPROVING WIRELESS MESH NETWORK USING DIRECT OPTICAL-TO-RFAND DIRECT-RF-TO-OPTICAL CONVERSION MODULE,” (iv) U.S. Provisional App.No. 62/833,485, filed Apr. 12, 2019, and entitled “A METHOD FOR BUILDINGWIRELESS MESH NETWORK NODES,” and (v) U.S. Provisional App. No.62/856,697, filed Jun. 3, 2019, and entitled “A METHOD FOR BUILDINGWIRELESS MESH NETWORK NODES,” each of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Wired and wireless networking and communications systems are widelydeployed to provide various types of communication and functionalfeatures, including but not limited to those for high speed homeinternet, security and automation, and/or others. These systems may becapable of supporting communication with a user through a communicationconnection or a system management action.

Current wireless mesh networking systems exhibit many shortcomings,including failing to account for extra protection for point-to-pointnarrow beam wireless paths. Such paths are highly directional and workonly under perfect line-of-sight or near line-of-sight conditions. Oncethe wireless mesh network is built, certain events such as vegetationgrowth or loss of an intermediary node can impact the line-of-sightpaths between the links. This can result in single or multiple linkfailures in the network.

Thus, there exists multiple needs in the art for improved systems andmethods relating to wireless communication mesh network design andoperation.

OVERVIEW

The present disclosure, for example, relates to wireless networks andcommunications including, but not limited to, broadband internetservices to end user, security and/or automation systems, and moreparticularly to narrow beam mesh networking and related operations andtechniques.

In accordance with the present disclosure, disclosed herein are systemsand methods that relate to narrow beam mesh networks, associatedsystems, and operations relating to network communication, including, insome embodiments, adjustments and modifications. The present systems andmethods may facilitate designing, operating and/or adjusting/modifyingwireless networking communications. In some embodiments, the presentsystems and methods relate to and account for wireless communicationnodes with capability of establishing point-to-point orpoint-to-multipoint narrow beam communication link,point-to-point/point-to-multipoint steerable narrow beam communicationlink, combination of point-to-point and point-to-multipointcommunication links, among other things.

In some instances, one or multiple links in a wireless communicationnetwork can fail due to certain events, including but not limited togrowth in vegetation, loss of a node due to various reasons that canchange the line-of-sight (LOS) conditions required for communicationbetween two points in the wireless mesh network. In the presentdisclosure, some or all the nodes in the mesh network can host a 4G(LTE, LTE Advanced, LTE Pro, WiMAX, WiFi, etc.) technology-based smallcell (eNB) and an UE (user equipment)/CPE (customer premises equipment)in a single enclosure to provide a redundant communication path betweentwo points in a mesh network in an event a direct or in-direct LOS pathbetween two mesh nodes fail.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of examples according to this disclosure so that thefollowing detailed description may be better understood. Additionalfeatures and advantages will be described below. It should be understoodthat the specific examples disclosed herein may be readily utilized as abasis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out thesame operations disclosed herein. Characteristics of the conceptsdisclosed herein including their organization and method of operationtogether with associated advantages will be better understood from thefollowing description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. It should be understood that the figures areprovided for the purpose of illustration and description only.

Accordingly, in one aspect, disclosed herein is (1) a firstcommunication module that includes a first baseband unit configured tohandle baseband processing for the first communication module, a firstRF unit configured to define a frequency range of radio signals for thefirst communication module, and a first antenna unit configured togenerate a first extremely-narrow beam that facilitates exchange ofradio signals with at least one other wireless communication node, and(2) a second communication module that includes a second baseband unitconfigured to handle baseband processing for the second communicationmodule, a second RF unit configured to define a frequency range of radiosignals for the second communication module, and a second antenna unitconfigured to generate a second extremely-narrow beam that facilitatesexchange of radio signals with at least one other wireless communicationnode.

In another aspect, disclosed herein is a first wireless communicationnode comprising (1) a first communication module that includes a firstbaseband unit configured to handle baseband processing for the firstcommunication module, a first RF unit configured to define a frequencyrange of radio signals for the first communication module, and anantenna unit configured to generate an extremely-narrow beam thatfacilitates exchange of radio signals with at least one other wirelesscommunication node, and (2) a second communication module that includesa second baseband unit configured to handle baseband processing for thesecond communication module, a second RF unit configured to define afrequency range of radio signals for the second communication module,and an active antenna system (AAS) that comprises a phased array oftransmitters and receivers configured to generate a plurality of beamsin different directions that facilitate exchange of radio signals withat least one other wireless communication node, wherein the plurality ofbeams are not extremely narrow.

In yet another aspect, disclosed herein is a communication systemcomprising a first wireless communication node comprising at least firstand second communication modules, a second wireless communication nodecomprising at least a third communication module, and a third wirelesscommunication node comprising at least a fourth communication module.The first communication module of the first wireless communication nodeincludes a first baseband unit configured to handle baseband processingfor the first communication module, a first RF unit configured to definea frequency range of radio signals for the first communication module,and a first antenna unit configured to generate a first extremely-narrowbeam that facilitates exchange of radio signals with at least the secondwireless communication node. The second communication module of thefirst wireless communication node includes a second baseband unitconfigured to handle baseband processing for the second communicationmodule, a second RF unit configured to define a frequency range of radiosignals for the second communication module, and a given one of (a) asecond antenna unit configured to generate a second extremely-narrowbeam that facilitates exchange of radio signals with at least the thirdwireless communication node or (b) a first active antenna system (AAS)that comprises a phased array of transmitters and receivers configuredto generate a plurality of beams in different directions that facilitateexchange of radio signals with at least the third wireless communicationnode. The third communication module of the second wirelesscommunication node includes a third baseband unit configured to handlebaseband processing for the third communication module, a third RF unitconfigured to define a frequency range of radio signals for the thirdcommunication module, and a third antenna unit configured to generate athird extremely-narrow beam that facilitates exchange of radio signalswith at least the first wireless communication node. The fourthcommunication module of the third wireless communication node includes afourth baseband unit configured to handle baseband processing for thefourth communication module, a fourth RF unit configured to define afrequency range of radio signals for the fourth communication module,and a given one of (a) a fourth antenna unit configured to generate afourth extremely-narrow beam that facilitates exchange of radio signalswith at least the first wireless communication node or (b) a second AASthat comprises a phased array of transmitters and receivers configuredto generate a plurality of beams in different directions that facilitateexchange of radio signals with at least the first wireless communicationnode.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate these as well asnumerous other aspects in reading the following disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages the presentdisclosure may be realized by reference to the following drawings.

FIG. 1 depicts an example diagram relating to a wireless networking andcommunication system, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 2 depicts an example wireless communication node comprising amodule, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 3 depicts an example antenna pattern of a module, in accordancewith various aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts an example communication link between two wirelesscommunication nodes, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts example wireless communication nodes, in accordance withvarious aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 6 depicts example wireless communication nodes that arecommunicatively coupled, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 7 depicts another example wireless communication node comprising amodule, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 8. depicts yet another example wireless communication nodecomprising a module, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 9 depicts an example wireless communication node comprising twomodules, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 10 depicts another example wireless communication node comprisingtwo modules, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 11A depicts an example wireless communication node at a given timethat can dynamically change type of links between wireless communicationnodes, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 11B depicts an example wireless communication node at another giventime that can dynamically change type of links between wirelesscommunication nodes, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 12 depicts an example location of a communication network that canbe a seed or an anchor home, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 13 depicts another example location of a communication network thatcan be a seed or an anchor home, in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 14 depicts another example wireless communication node comprising amodule, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 15 depicts an example of multiple modules connected to a tower, inaccordance with various aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 16 depicts another example diagram relating to a wirelessnetworking and communication system, in accordance with various aspectsof this disclosure;

FIG. 17 depicts yet another example diagram relating to a wirelessnetworking and communication system, in accordance with various aspectsof this disclosure;

FIG. 18 depicts still another example diagram relating to a wirelessnetworking and communication system, in accordance with various aspectsof this disclosure;

FIG. 19 depicts an example communication module based on directRF-to-Optical and direct Optical-to-RF conversion, in accordance withvarious aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 20 depicts an example router/switch, in accordance with variousaspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 21 depicts an example block diagram of a communication module, inaccordance with various aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 22 depicts an example block diagram of a ptmp radio module of acommunication node, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 23 depicts an example block diagram of a ptp radio module of acommunication node, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 24 depicts an example mesh network comprising a plurality ofcommunication nodes, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 25 depicts an example modified version of a flexible millimeterwave radio box, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Current wireless mesh networking systems exhibit many shortcomings,including failing to account for extra protection for a high reliabilitywireless path for carrying backhaul data that carries control signalingdata along with user data for users in the network segment. Currentwireless mesh networking systems use the same or similar beamtransmission techniques for an access path that carries data for asingle user and backhaul path that may affect network performance asbackhaul paths tend to be more sensitive to interference and othersignal inhibitors and can degrade the performance of entire networksegment. Thus, there exists multiple needs in the art for improvedsystems and methods relating to wireless communication network designand operation.

Referring to FIG. 1, a data communication network capable of providingmultigigabit internet speeds through wireless point-to-point andpoint-to-multipoint links is illustrated. Communication network 100 inFIG. 1 includes Tower/fiber access points 101 and 102. Tower/fiberaccess points 101 and 102 can be co-located or can be located atdifferent physical locations. Tower/fiber access points 101 and 102 haveaccess to a high bandwidth dark fiber capable of providing up to severalhundred gigabits/second of data throughput. Tower/fiber access points101 and 102 provide backhaul connectivity between a core network/datacenter (not shown in the FIG. 1 for the sake of simplicity) and a seedhome of the communication network described below. Tower/Fiber accesspoints 101 and 102 also host wireless point-to-point communication nodes121 and 124.

As shown, wireless communication nodes 121 and 124 are capable ofreception and transmission of high bandwidth (multiple gigahertz)signals operating at very high frequency (6 Ghz˜100 Ghz such as 28 Ghz,V band, E band, etc.). Wireless communication nodes 121 and 124 eachcomprise a baseband/digital unit equipped with components including butnot limited to a processor, memory, etc. Wireless communication nodes121 and 124 also each comprise an RF unit and antenna unit. The antennasubsystem of wireless communication nodes 121 and 124 is capable ofreception and transmission of directional signals where significantportion of the signal energy is concentrated within a few degrees aroundthe antenna boresight (e.g., within a range of 0.5 degrees to 5degrees), both in vertical and horizontal directions, in contrast toomni directional antennas where signal energy is close to evenly spreadacross 360° degrees.

As further shown in FIG. 1, Communication network 100 includes seedhomes 111 and 115. Examples of seed homes include detached single-familyhomes, multi-dwelling units (MDUs), small/medium business (SMB), etc.,where communication equipment nodes can be deployed on rooftops. Seedhomes 111 and 115 host wireless point-to-point communication nodes 122and 123. Wireless communication nodes 122 and 123 are capable ofreception and transmission of high bandwidth (multiple gigahertz)signals operating at very high frequency (6 Ghz˜100 Ghz such as 28 Ghz,V band, E band, etc.).

Wireless communication nodes 122 and 123 comprise a baseband/digitalunit equipped with components including but not limited to a processor,memory, etc. Wireless communication nodes 122 and 123 also comprise anRF unit and antenna unit. The antenna subsystem of wirelesscommunication nodes 122 and 123 is capable of reception and transmissionof directional signals where a significant portion of the signal energyis concentrated within few degrees around the antenna boresight (e.g.,within a range of 0.5 degrees to 5 degrees), both in vertical andhorizontal directions, in contrast to omni directional antennas wheresignal energy is close to evenly spread across 360° degrees.

Wireless communication node 121 residing in Tower/fiber access pointlocation 101 and wireless communication node 122 residing in seed home111 work together to form a bi-directional high bandwidth communicationpoint-to-point data link 141 that provides connectivity betweenTower/fiber access point 101 and seed home 111 segment of communicationnetwork 100. Similarly, wireless communication node 124 residing inTower/fiber access point location 102 and wireless communication node123 residing in seed home 115 work together to form a bi-directionalhigh bandwidth communication point-to-point data link 142 that providesconnectivity between Tower/fiber access point 102 and seed home 115segment of the communication network 100.

Seed home 111, in addition to wireless communication node 122, hosts asecond wireless communication node 131. Second wireless communicationnode 131 comprises multiple independent transmission/reception modules.Each module of the wireless communication node 131 is capable ofreception and transmission of high bandwidth (multiple gigahertz)signals operating at very high frequency (6 Ghz˜100 Ghz such as 28 Ghz,V band, E band, etc.). Each module of wireless communication node 131comprises an independent baseband/digital unit equipped with componentsincluding but not limited to a processor, memory, etc. Each module inwireless communication node 131 also comprises an independent RF unitand independent antenna unit. The antenna subsystem of each wirelesscommunication node 131's module is capable of reception and transmissionof directional signals where significant portion of the signal energy isconcentrated within few degrees around the antenna boresight (e.g.,within a range of 0.5 degrees to 5 degrees), both in vertical andhorizontal directions, in contrast to omni directional antennas wheresignal energy is close to evenly spread across 360° degrees.

Communication network 100 also includes multiple anchor homes 112, 113and 114. Each of these anchor homes host a wireless communication nodesimilar to wireless communication node 131 described above. However,unlike seed homes, a wireless communication node on an anchor home onlyprovides wireless connectivity to one or more anchor homes and/or seedhomes but does not provide connectivity to the Tower/Fiber access point.For example, anchor home 112 hosts wireless communication node 132. Afirst module of wireless communication node 132 residing in anchor home112 and another module of wireless communication node 131 residing inseed home 111 work together to form a bi-directional high bandwidthcommunication point-to-point data link 151 that provides connectivitybetween seed home 111 and anchor home 112 segment of the communicationnetwork 100. Similarly, as another example, a second module of wirelesscommunication node 132 residing in anchor home 112 and a module ofwireless communication node 133 residing in anchor home 113 worktogether to form a bi-directional high bandwidth communicationpoint-to-point data link 153 that provides connectivity between anchorhome 112 and anchor home 113. As yet another example, a third module ofwireless communication node 132 residing in anchor home 112 and a moduleof wireless communication node 135 residing in seed home 115 worktogether to form a bi-directional high bandwidth communicationpoint-to-point data link 154 that provides connectivity between anchorhome 112 and seed home 115. As a further example, another module ofwireless communication node 131 residing in seed home 111 and a moduleof wireless communication node 134 residing in anchor home 114 worktogether to form a bi-directional high bandwidth communicationpoint-to-point data link 152 that provides connectivity between anchorhome 114 and seed home 111. As another example, another module ofwireless communication node 134 residing in anchor home 114 and a moduleof wireless communication node 135 residing in seed home 115 worktogether to form a bi-directional high bandwidth communicationpoint-to-point data link 156 that provides connectivity between anchorhome 114 and seed home 115. Other examples are possible as well.

Bi-directional communication links 141, 142, 151, 152, 153, 154 & 155shown in FIG. 1 can use various different multiple access schemes fortransmission and reception including but not limited to frequencydivision multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA),single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), single carrier TDMA (SC-TDMA), codedivision multiple access (CDMA), orthogonal frequency division multipleaccess (OFDMA), and/or non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) asdescribed in various generations of communication technologies including1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G and 6G, etc. Bi-directional communication links 141,142, 151, 152, 153, 154 & 155 formed by a set of communication nodescomprising two or more of 121, 122, 123, 124, 131, 132, 133, 134, and/or135 are capable of data information transfer via a variety of digitaltransmission schemes, including but not limited to amplitude modulation(AM), phase modulation (PM), pulse amplitude modulation/quadratureamplitude modulation (PAM/QAM), and/or ultra-wide band (UWB) pulsemodulation (pico-second pulses), etc.

In FIG. 1, two Tower/fiber access points 101 & 102, two seed homes 111 &115 and three anchor homes 112, 113 & 114 and seven bi-directional pointto point data links 141, 142, 151, 152, 153, 154 & 155 are shown toillustrate an example of a communication network. However, in general,it should be understood that communication network 100 can include adifferent number of Tower/fiber nodes, seed homes, anchor homes and/orcommunication links, which may depend on the specific layout of aparticular instantiation of the communication network deployed in thefield. Similarly, although, FIG. 1 shows four communication nodes 121,122, 123 & 124 that provide connectivity between a Tower/fiber accesspoint (e.g., Tower/fiber access points 101, 102) and a seed home, fivecommunication nodes 131, 132, 133, 134 & 135 that provide connectivitybetween two anchor homes or between an anchor and a seed home, thenumber of these communication nodes can vary from one communicationnetwork to another communication network, which may depend on thespecific size and layout of a particular instantiation of thecommunication network. It should also be understood that communicationnetwork 100 may also contain other nodes (e.g., networkswitches/routers, etc.) that are omitted here for the sake ofsimplicity.

Referring to FIG. 2, one possible embodiment of wireless communicationnode 131 of FIG. 1 is shown as wireless communication node 200. Wirelesscommunication node 200 in FIG. 2 comprises a module labelled as “ModuleA.” As shown, Module A comprises a base band unit or digital unit 201which runs the physical layer level protocol including digitalmodulation/demodulation (modem) and other higher layer protocols such asMAC layer etc. Base band unit 201 interacts with other nodes ofcommunication network that are external to the wireless communicationnode 200 via a wired medium.

Module A also includes RF unit 202 which, among other things, performsprocessing of intermediate frequency (IF) signals and defines thefrequency range of the radio signals that can be transmitted or receivedvia Module A. RF unit 202 is capable of operating over a wide range offrequencies (e.g., V band frequencies ranging from 57 Ghz to 71 Ghz).

Further, as shown, Module A also comprises antenna unit 203 whichperforms the transmission and reception of over the air radio signals.Antenna unit 203 is capable of transmitting and receiving extremelynarrow beam of signals. Antenna unit 203 may be constructed withmetamaterials that have excellent properties of controlling thedirectionality of radio signals that cannot be exhibited by ordinaryantennas. Module A with the help of antenna unit 203 is capable ofestablishing point-to-point links with a different module residing in adifferent wireless communication node.

Referring to FIG. 3, an example of an antenna pattern of Module Acreated by antenna unit 203 is shown. It can be seen from the antennapattern in FIG. 3 that the beam width of antenna unit 203 of Module A isextremely narrow (less than a degree) and the side lobe power levelsstart to drop at a rapid rate. For instance, as shown, approximately 5-6degrees from the main lobe, power levels may drop by more than 30 dB.

It should be understood that the antenna pattern of antenna unit 203shown in FIG. 3 is just one example showing the extremely narrow beamantenna pattern generation capability of Module A. In other instances,due to change in antenna elements, size, frequency, etc., differentpatterns may be generated. Further, while Module A can be constructedusing metamaterials described above, it should be understood that ModuleA can be constructed using a parabolic antenna or other types ofantennas. However, it should be understood that the main characteristicof generation of extremely narrow antenna beam pattern is common to allthe instances of Module A.

Referring to FIG. 4, a point-to-point wireless communication link 400established between two wireless communication nodes 401 and 402 isshown. Wireless communication nodes 401 and 402 each host a singlecommunication module (i.e., “Module A”) that may take the form similarto Module A depicted in FIG. 2 and described above. As shown in FIG. 4,due to the antenna unit characteristics of Module A in wirelesscommunication node 401 and 402, the bi-directional point-to-point link400 may have an extremely narrow beam. This transmission and receptioncapability of radio signals over an extremely narrow beam viapoint-to-point link 400 provides interference immunity in scenarioswhere there are a large number of wireless communication linksestablished by multiple wireless communication nodes concentrated in asmall area and operating in the same frequency.

In some implementations, Module A can additionally provide beamsteerability characteristics in addition to the capability oftransmitting and receiving data over extremely narrow beams as explainedabove and illustrated in the context of FIGS. 2-4.

For example, referring to FIG. 5, a wireless communication node 501comprising Module A, a second wireless communication node 502 comprisingModule A and a third wireless communication node 503 comprising Module Ais shown. During time T1, Module A of wireless communication node 501and Module A of wireless communication node 502 work together toestablish an extremely narrow beam based bi-directional link 500 for theexchange of information data between wireless communication nodes 501and 502. Due to some trigger, Module A of wireless communication node501 may invoke the beam steering capability of the module and change thedirection of the antenna transmission and reception beam towardswireless communication node 503 and work together with Module A ofwireless communication node 503 to dynamically establish abi-directional extremely narrow beam-based link 500 between wirelesscommunication node 501 and wireless communication node 503 during timeT2. The trigger for this beam steering can be due to changes in the linkcondition between wireless communication node 501 and wirelesscommunication node 502 which may involve various factors, including butnot limited to a change from a LOS path to a non-LOS path due to achange in environment, increased interference, a change in position ofwireless communication node 502 with respect to wireless communicationnode 501, and/or instructions from higher layers, etc.

In one embodiment, wireless communication node 503 can be different thanwireless communication node 502. In another embodiment, wirelesscommunication node 503 can be the same as wireless communication node502 but in a different physical location.

In some embodiments, wireless communication nodes defined above anddiscussed in the context of FIGS. 2-5 can host more than one module.This allows a wireless communication node to communicate simultaneouslywith multiple wireless communication nodes by establishing multipleextremely narrow beam bi-directional links with the help of multiplemodules (e.g., multiple Module As) belonging to different wirelesscommunication nodes working together.

As one example to illustrate, referring to FIG. 6, wirelesscommunication nodes 601 and 602 each host two Module As labeled “1” and“2,” while wireless communication nodes 603 and 604 each host a singleModule A. As shown, a 1^(st) Module A of wireless communication node 601and a 1^(st) Module A of wireless communication node 602 work togetherto establish extremely narrow bi-directional beam-based link 600 toprovide wireless connection between wireless communication node 601 and602. Similarly, a 2^(nd) Module A of wireless communication node 601 and602 and a 1^(st) (and only) Module A of wireless communication node 603and 604 respectively work together to establish extremely narrowbi-directional beam-based links 610 and 620 to provide wirelessconnection between wireless communication nodes 601-603 and 602-604respectively.

In one embodiment, the 1^(st) and 2^(nd) Module A of wirelesscommunication nodes 601 and 602 can be inside the same physicalenclosure and in other embodiments, the 1^(st) Module A of wirelesscommunication nodes 601 and 603 can be inside one physical enclosure andthe 2^(nd) Module A of wireless communication nodes 601 and 603 can beinside a different physical enclosure. In embodiments where differentModule As belonging to the same wireless communication node arecontained in separate physical enclosures, these Module As can beconnected via a wired link as they are co-located in the same seed homeor anchor home.

In FIG. 6, a maximum of two Module As are shown to be contained in awireless communication node that enables the wireless communication nodeto establish two independent bi-directional links with differentwireless communication nodes simultaneously. However, it should beunderstood that a wireless communication node can host more than twoModule As and the maximum number of Module As that a wirelesscommunication node can host may depend on the maximum total poweravailable to the wireless communication node.

Further, it should be understood that in one embodiment, all Module Asbelonging to the same wireless communication node may operate on thesame carrier frequencies of a frequency band, and in other embodiments,different Module As belonging to same wireless communication node mayoperate on different carrier frequencies of a frequency band.

Referring to FIG. 7, another embodiment of wireless communication node131 of FIG. 1 is shown as wireless communication node 700. Wirelesscommunication node 700 in FIG. 7 comprises a single module labeled as“Module B.” Module B comprises base band unit or digital unit 701 whichruns the physical layer level protocol including digitalmodulation/demodulation (modem) and other higher layer protocols such asMAC layer, etc. Base band unit 701 interacts with other nodes of thecommunication network that are external to the wireless communicationnode 700 via wired medium.

Module B also includes RF unit 702, which among other things processesintermediate frequency (IF) signals and defines the frequency range ofthe radio signals that can be transmitted or received with Module B. RFunit 702 is capable of operating over a wide range of frequencies (e.g.,V band frequencies ranging from 57 Ghz to 71 Ghz).

Further, Module B comprises antenna unit 703, which performs thetransmission and reception of over the air radio signals. Antenna unit703 may be an active antenna system (AAS) that comprises a phased arrayof transmitters and receivers that are capable of beamforming andcreating multiple beams simultaneously in different directions. Byvirtue of the simultaneous creation of multiple beams in differentdirections, AAS of antenna unit 703 enables the wireless communicationnode 700 to establish point-to-multipoint wireless communication linkswith multiple wireless communication nodes. Hence Module B with the helpof antenna unit 703 is capable of establishing point-to-multipoint linkswith a different module residing in a different wireless communicationnode.

As further shown in FIG. 7, Module B residing in wireless communicationnode 700 is shown to create 1 to N multiple beams with the help of AASof antenna unit 703. Value N depends on the number of transmit andreceive antennas in AAS of antenna unit 703. Specifically, it can beseen that wireless communication unit 700 is connected to wirelesscommunication unit 710, wireless communication unit 720, and wirelesscommunication unit 7N0 via bi-directional beam 1, beam 2 and beam Nrespectively. It can also be seen from the antenna pattern in FIG. 7that the beam width of point-to-multipoint beams of antenna unit 703 ofModule B are not extremely narrow (e.g. 3 dB beam width of 7˜10 degree)and side lobes power levels do not start to drop at a rapid rate whichis in contrast to the antenna pattern of the antenna unit belonging toModule A described above and discussed in the context of FIGS. 2-6.

Further, Module B of wireless communication node 700 also differs fromModule A (discussed above in the context of FIGS. 2-6) with respect tothe limitation that the multiple bi-directional links operate in asingle frequency range at a given time. For example, signal beams 1 to Nthat connect wireless communication node 700 to wireless communicationnodes 710 to 7N0 respectively may only operate within the same frequencyrange at a given instant of time. It is to be noted that at a differentinstant, all beams 1 to N can switch to operate at a frequency rangedifferent from the frequency range used in the previous time instant,however, frequency range of an individual beam remains the same as thefrequency range of all the other N−1 beams at a given instant of time.Hence, with respect to Module B, although due to phased antenna arrayscan create multiple beams to create point-to-multi point links toconnect one wireless communication node with multiple wirelesscommunication nodes as shown in FIG. 7, an interference profile at thereceiver side with such point-to-multipoint network is inferior to aninterference profile of point-to-multipoint network where a wirelesscommunication node hosts multiple Module As and creates multiplepoint-to-point links as shown in FIG. 6, where wireless communicationnode 601 uses two Module As to connect to wireless communication node602 and wireless communication node 603 simultaneously. The main reasonsof high interference with Module B may be due to (1) individual phasedantenna array-based beams that are not as narrow as extremely narrowbeams generated by metamaterial-based antenna of Module A and/or (2) allbeams of Module B belonging to one wireless communication unit thatcannot operate at different frequency ranges unlike multiplepoint-to-point narrow beams of wireless communication node that hostmultiple Module As.

Referring to FIG. 8, another possible embodiment of wirelesscommunication node 131 of FIG. 1 is shown as wireless communication node800 and wireless communication node 810. Wireless communication node 800in FIG. 8 comprises a module labeled as “Module C.” Module C comprises abase band unit or digital unit which runs the physical layer levelprotocol including digital modulation/demodulation (modem) and otherhigher layer protocols such as MAC layer etc. Module C's baseband unitinteracts with other nodes of a communication network that are externalto the wireless communication node 800 via wired medium.

Module C also includes an ultra-wide band antenna embedded with thebaseband unit. Module C is capable of generation, transmission, andreception of extremely short duration pulses (few pico seconds long) anduses pulse modulation (and its variations such as pulse amplitudemodulation, etc.) to transmit data at extremely high rates (e.g.,greater than 100 Gbps) by transmitting signals over a very wide range offrequencies. In one embodiment, pulses used for communication by ModuleC can use frequencies ranging from few hundred megahertz to few hundredgigahertz. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that therange of frequencies used by pulses generated by Module C of wirelesscommunication unit 800 can take a different range as well. Moreover,multiple module Cs can be placed together to create a 1, 2, or 3dimensional array. Elements of this array (e.g., module C) are capableof performing a time synchronized transmission for beam forming. Thisallows the RF signal energy of the Pico second/UWB pulses to focus in adesired (receiver) direction and can also enable the creation of null orlow RF signal energy of the Pico second/UWB pulse in other directions toavoid interference.

One fundamental difference between the characteristic of signalsgenerated by Module C and signals generated by Module A and/or Module Bis that these signals generated by Module C are ultra wide band (UWB)signals and their power spectral density over the entire range offrequencies is very low. In this respect, these UWB signals do notcreate interference with other signals operating on a narrow band offrequencies as these UWB signals are treated as noise by receivers ofnormal wireless communication nodes.

As further shown in FIG. 8, Module C of wireless communication node 800and Module C of wireless communication unit 810 establish a link 801 byworking together. As explained above, such a communication link 801operates over an ultra-wide range of frequencies. However, even in thepresence of other wireless communication nodes (not shown in FIG. 8)such as wireless communication nodes with Module A or Module B thatoperate on a narrow band of frequencies compared to Module C of wirelesscommunication node 800, performance of network is not impacted as powerspectral density over the frequency range of communication link 801 thatoverlaps with frequency ranges on which a nearby wireless communicationnode using narrow band signals using for example Module A and/or ModuleB operates is very low and is treated as noise by the receivers ofModule A and/or Module B.

In another preferred embodiment, in line with the discussion above,wireless communication node 131 in FIG. 1 can host two types of modules.This allows a wireless communication node to communicate simultaneouslywith multiple wireless communication nodes and with two differentinterference profiles.

As one example to illustrate, referring to FIG. 9, wirelesscommunication node 910 hosts one Module A and one Module B. Module A ofwireless communication node 910 and a communication module of wirelesscommunication node 920 work together to establish extremely narrowbi-directional beam-based link 901 to provide wireless connectionbetween wireless communication nodes 910 and 920. Simultaneously, ModuleB of wireless communication node 910 which is based on AAS and generatesmultiple beams simultaneously creates a point-to-multipoint link thatconnects wireless communication node 910 with wireless communicationnodes 930, 940, 950 and 960. Specifically, Module B of wirelesscommunication node 910 coordinates with (1) a module of wirelesscommunication node 930 to establish bi-directional beam 902, (2) amodule of wireless communication node 940 to establish bi-directionalbeam 903, (3) a module of wireless communication node 950 to establishbi-directional beam 904, and (4) a module of wireless communication node960 to establish bi-directional beam 905. In one embodiment, extremelynarrow beam 901 and group of beams including 902, 903, 904 and 905 mayall operate within the same range of carrier frequencies at a giventime. In another embodiment, extremely narrow beam 901 may operatewithin a different range of frequencies compared to the range offrequencies used by the group of beams including 902, 903, 904 and 905at a given time.

In one embodiment, Module A and Module B of wireless communication node910 can be inside the same physical enclosure. In other embodiments,Module A and Module B of wireless communication node 910 can be insidetwo separate physical enclosures. In such embodiments where Module A andModule B belong to the same wireless communication node contained inseparate physical enclosures, Module A and Module B can be connected viaa wired link as they are co-located in the same seed home or anchorhome.

In FIG. 9, a maximum of two modules (i.e., a single Module A and asingle Module B) are shown to be contained in a wireless communicationnode 910 that enables the wireless communication node to establish twoindependent and different types of bi-directional links with differentwireless communication nodes simultaneously. However, it should beunderstood that wireless communication node 910 can host more than twomodules (e.g., a combination of one or more Module As and one or moreModule Bs) and the maximum number of total modules that a wirelesscommunication node can host may depend on the maximum total poweravailable to the wireless communication node. Further, it should beunderstood that in one embodiment, all modules belonging to samewireless communication node may operate on the same carrier frequenciesof a frequency band but in other embodiments, different modulesbelonging to the same wireless communication node may operate ondifferent carrier frequencies of a frequency band.

As noted above, wireless communication nodes 131 in FIG. 1 can host morethan one type of module. This allows a wireless communication node tocommunicate simultaneously with multiple wireless communication nodesand with different interference profiles.

As another example to illustrate, referring to FIG. 10, wirelesscommunication node 1010 hosts one Module C and one Module B. Module C ofwireless communication node 1010 and Module C of wireless communicationnode 1020 work together to establish extremely high data rate ultra-widefrequency and low power spectral density beam-based link 1001 to providewireless connection between wireless communication nodes 1010 and 1020.Module B of wireless communication node 1010, which is based on AAS andgenerates multiple beams simultaneously, creates a point-to-multipointlink that connects wireless communication node 1010 with wirelesscommunication nodes 1030, 1040, 1050 and 1060. Specifically, Module B ofwireless communication node 1010 coordinates with (1) a module ofwireless communication node 1030 to establish bi-directional beam 1002,(2) a module of wireless communication node 1040 to establishbi-directional beam 1003, (3) a module of wireless communication node1050 to establish bi-directional beam 1004, and (4) a module of wirelesscommunication node 1060 to establish bi-directional beam 1005.

In one embodiment, Module C and Module B of wireless communication node1010 can be inside same physical enclosure. In other embodiments, ModuleC and Module B of wireless communication node 1010 can be inside twoseparate physical enclosures. In such an embodiment where Module C andModule B belong to the same wireless communication node contained inseparate physical enclosures, Module C and Module B can be connected viaa wired link as they are co-located in same seed home or anchor home.

In FIG. 10, a maximum of two modules (i.e., a single Module C and asingle Module B) are shown to be contained in a wireless communicationnode 1010 that enables the wireless communication node to establish twoindependent and different types of bi-directional links with differentwireless communication nodes simultaneously. However, it should beunderstood that wireless communication node 1010 can host more than twotypes of module (e.g., a combination of Module A, Module B and/or ModuleC) and the maximum number of total modules that a wireless communicationnode can host may depend on the maximum total power available to thewireless communication node. It should be also understood that in oneembodiment, all modules belonging to same wireless communication nodemay operate on same carrier frequencies of a frequency band, while inother embodiments, different modules belonging to same wirelesscommunication node may operate on different carrier frequencies of afrequency band.

In another preferred embodiment, wireless communication nodes 131 inFIG. 1 can host more than one type of module and dynamically change thetype of link between wireless communication nodes. This allows awireless communication node to communicate simultaneously with multiplewireless communication nodes and with different interference profilesand to adapt with changes in network environment.

As one example to illustrate, referring to FIG. 11A, wirelesscommunication node 1110 hosts a Module C or Module A along with a ModuleB. During time T1, Module A/Module C of wireless communication node 1110and communication module of wireless communication node 1010 worktogether to establish either an extremely high date rate ultra-widefrequency low power spectral density beam or extremely narrow beam-basedlink 1101 to provide wireless connection between wireless communicationnodes 1110 and 1120. At substantially the same time duration T1, ModuleB of wireless communication node 1110 which is based on AAS andgenerates multiple beams simultaneously creates a point-to-multipointlink that connects wireless communication node 1110 with wirelesscommunication nodes 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160. Specifically, Module B ofwireless communication node 1110 coordinates with (1) a module ofwireless communication node 1130 to establish bi-directional beam 1102,(2) a module of wireless communication node 1140 to establishbi-directional beam 1103, (3) a module of wireless communication node1150 to establish bi-directional beam 1104, and (4) a module of wirelesscommunication node 1160 to establish bi-directional beam 1105.

Referring to FIG. 11B, at a different time T2, due to some trigger,Module A/Module C of wireless communication node 1110 may dynamicallyswitch its wireless link from wireless communication node 1120 towireless communication node 1140 by steering the beam towards wirelesscommunication node 1140. At the same time or after receivinginstructions from a higher layer, Module B of wireless communicationnode 1110 disconnects its link with wireless communication node 1140 viabeam 1103 and generates a new beam 1113 in the direction of wirelesscommunication node 1120 and establishes connection with wirelesscommunication node 1120. Trigger for this beam steering can be due tochanges in the link condition between wireless communication node 1110and wireless communication node 1120 or 1140, which may involve variousfactors, including but not limited to change from a LOS path to anon-LOS path due to a change in environment, increased interference, achange in position of wireless communication node 1120 or 1140 withrespect to wireless communication node 1110, instructions from higherlayers, etc.

As shown in FIGS. 11A-B, dynamic link switching may occur betweenwireless communication nodes 1110, 1120 and 1140. However, it should beunderstood that dynamic switching can also occur between differentcommunication nodes.

In some instances, one or more wireless communication nodes may leavethe communication network. In such case, links between nodes may bedropped and the communication network may dynamically re-align itself byadjusting/switching link types between the remaining number of wirelesscommunication nodes in the communication network to best suit the needsto the wireless communication nodes and the communication network.

In some embodiments, wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150and 1160 can host multiple modules of the same or different types. Forexample, one or more of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140,1150 and 1160 can host one Module A and one Module B. Hence, whenwireless communication node 1110 makes a point-to-point link using itsModule A or Module C with a first communication module (e.g., Module Aor C) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160,then a second communication module (e.g., Module B) of wirelesscommunication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneouslycreate point-to-multipoint wireless communication links with othermodules of wireless communication nodes in the mesh network that are notshown here. Similarly, when wireless communication node 1110 makes apoint-to-multipoint link using its Module B with the first communicationmodule (e.g., Module A or C) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130,1140, 1150 and 1160, then the second communication module (e.g., ModuleB) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 cansimultaneously create point-to-multipoint wireless communication linkswith other modules of wireless communication nodes in the mesh networkthat are not shown here.

As another example, one or more of wireless communication nodes 1120,1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 can host two Module As or Module Cs. Hence,when wireless communication node 1110 makes a point-to-point link usingits Module A or Module C with the first Module A or C of wirelesscommunication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160, then the secondModule A or Module C of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140,1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create point-to-point wirelesscommunication links with other modules of wireless communication nodesin the mesh network that are not shown here. Similarly, when wirelesscommunication node 1110 makes a point-to-multipoint links using itsModule B with the first communication modules (Module A or C) ofwireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160, then thesecond Module A or C of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140,1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create point-to-point wirelesscommunication links with other modules of wireless communication nodesin the mesh network that are not shown here.

As yet another example, wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140,1150 and 1160 can host multiple Module As or Module Cs and a Module B.For instance, one or more of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130,1140, 1150 and 1160 can host two Module As or Module Cs and one ModuleB. Hence, when wireless communication node 1110 makes a point-to-pointlink using its Module A or Module C with a first Module A or C ofwireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160, then asecond Module A or Module C of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130,1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create point-to-point wirelesscommunication links with a third communication module (e.g., Module B)of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160 cansimultaneously create point-to-multipoint wireless communication linkswith other modules of wireless communication nodes in the mesh networkthat are not shown here. Similarly, when wireless communication node1110 makes a point-to-multipoint link using its Module B with the firstcommunication module (e.g., Module A or C) of wireless communicationnodes 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150 and 1160, then the second communicationmodule (e.g., Module A or C) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130,1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create point-to-point wirelesscommunication links with other modules of wireless communication nodesin the mesh network that are not shown here and a third communicationmodule (e.g., Module B) of wireless communication nodes 1120, 1130,1140, 1150 and 1160 can simultaneously create point-to-multipointwireless communication links with other modules of wirelesscommunication nodes in the mesh network that are not shown here.

It is to be noted that wireless communication links established byModule A or Module C have high reliability due to interference immunityeither due to extremely narrow beams or due to transmission of data overultra-high bandwidth. These features make these links more suitable tocarry control information and data for multiple users of a wirelesscommunication mesh network. Hence links established by Module A orModule C can act as a wireless backhaul for a mesh network while linksestablished with Module B can provide access to individual users of acommunication network.

In one embodiment, an entire wireless mesh can be composed ofpoint-to-point links where both links providing backhaul and access haveinterference immunity. Although such links are more expensive due to therequirement of separate modules to establish individual links, suchlinks are suitable when certain high service quality or reliability isrequired to be ensured for all customers of the network.

For example, FIG. 12 shows a location 1200 of a communication networkthat can be a seed or an anchor home. Location 1200 hosts a wirelesscommunication node 1201 that contains a total of 6 communication modulesthat belong to either Module A or Module C. Hence wireless communicationnode 1201 is capable of establishing six point-to-point links. As shown,wireless communication node 1201 uses a 1^(st) and 4^(th) ModuleA/Module C to establish connections with location 1210 and location 1260that serve as backhaul links, while wireless communication node 1201uses a 2^(nd), 3^(rd) 5^(th) and 6^(th) Module A/Module C to establishpoint-to-point links with location 1220, 1230, 1250 and 1240 to provideaccess links. In this respect, links between locations 1200 and 1220,locations 1200 and 1230, locations 1200 and 1240, and locations 1200 and1250 only carry data for individual users, whereas links betweenlocations 1200 and 1260 and locations 1200 and 1210 carry signaling anddata for all the locations including 1200, 1210, 1220, 1230, 1240, 1250and 1260.

In another embodiment, an entire wireless mesh can be composed ofcombination of point-to-point links and point-to-multipoint links wherepoint-to-point links act as backhaul links and point-to-multipoint linksact as access links to individual users. Although such wireless meshnetworks due to presence of point-to-multipoint links provideinterference immunity to all the users of the communication network,such wireless mesh networks are less expensive due to thenon-requirement of separate modules to establish individual links.

For example, FIG. 13 shows a location 1300 of a communication networkthat can be a seed or an anchor home. Location 1300 hosts a wirelesscommunication node 1301 that contains a total of 4 communication modulesthat belong to either Module A/Module C or Module B. Hence this wirelesscommunication node is capable of establishing two point-to-point linksand two point-to-multipoint links. As shown, wireless communication node1301 uses a 1^(st) and 4^(th) Module A/Module C to establish connectionswith location 1310 and location 1360 that serve as backhaul links, whilewireless communication node 1301 uses a 2^(nd) Module B to establishpoint-to-multipoint links with locations 1320, 1330 and uses a 3^(rd)Module B to establish point-to-multipoint links with locations 1350 and1340 to provide access links. In other words, links between locations1300 and 1320, locations 1300 and 1330, locations 1300 and 1340 andlocations 1300 and 1350 only carry data for individual users, whereaslinks between locations 1300 and 1360 and locations 1300 and 1310 carrysignaling and data for all the locations including 1300, 1310, 1320,1330, 1340, 1350 and 1360.

Referring to FIG. 14, another possible embodiment of wirelesscommunication node 131 of FIG. 1 is shown as wireless communication node1400. Wireless communication node 1400 comprises a single module labeledas “Module D.” Module D comprises base band unit or digital unit 1401which runs the physical layer level protocol including digitalmodulation/demodulation (modem) and other higher layer protocols such asMAC layer, etc. Base band unit 1401 interacts with other nodes of thecommunication network that are external to the wireless communicationnode 1400 via wired medium.

Module D also includes RF unit 1402, which among other things processesintermediate frequency (IF) signals and defines the frequency range ofthe radio signals that can be transmitted or received with the Module D.RF unit 1402 is capable of operating over a wide range of frequencies(e.g., 5 Ghz band frequencies ranging from 5 Ghz to 6 Ghz).

Further, as shown, Module D also comprises antenna unit 1403 whichperforms the transmission and reception of over the air radio signals.Antenna unit 1403 is capable of transmitting and receiving extremelynarrow beam of signals. Antenna unit 1403 may be constructed with either1-dimensional or 2-dimensional antenna element arrays that haveexcellent properties of controlling the directionality of radio signalsusing beam forming and can propagate even in a non-line of sightenvironment. Module D with the help of antenna unit 1403 is capable ofestablishing point-to-multipoint links with a tower capable ofperforming massive MIMO (multiple input multiple output) beams. In oneembodiment, Module D can be designed and manufactured at least in partusing ASIC (Application specific integrated circuit) and an integratedRF unit called RFIC.

Referring to FIG. 15, an example of multiple Module Ds connected to atower 1500 is shown. Specifically, wireless communication node 1501hosting a Module D described above is connected to tower 1500 viamassive MIMO beam link 1510 that can be both line-of-sight andnon-line-of-sight, wireless communication node 1502 hosting a Module Ddescribed above is connected to tower 1500 via massive MIMO beam link1520 that can be both line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight, and wirelesscommunication node 1503 hosting a Module D described above is connectedto tower 1500 via massive MIMO beam link 1530 that can be bothline-of-sight and non-line-of-sight. The tower 1500 is equipped with aMassive MIMO module that can create multiple bi-directional narrow beamlinks simultaneously in all directions with 360 degrees of coveragearea. In one embodiment, tower 1500 can operate in the 5 Ghz bandincluding frequencies ranging from 5000 Mhz to 6000 Mhz. In otherembodiments, tower 1500 and associated wireless communication nodes1501, 1502 and 1503 can operate within a different frequency band.

It should be understood that while FIG. 15 shows only one tower andthree wireless communication nodes hosting Module D in the network, agiven network can have multiple towers similar to tower 1500 and thesetowers can each be connected to a large number of wireless communicationnodes hosting various other modules.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the route that a particularpacket takes from a source to a destination may be dynamically selectedbased on factors including but not limited to link quality, loading,latency etc. For example, referring to FIG. 16, communication system1600 is shown that is similar to communication system 100 and has allthe components described in the context of FIG. 1. Additionally, system1600 of FIG. 16 includes a tower 1610 which is similar to tower 1500described in the context of FIG. 15. In contrast to communication system100 in FIG. 1, wireless communication nodes 131, 132, 133, 134 and 135host an additional Module D besides Module A/Module B or Module C thatenables these wireless communication nodes to optionally establishbi-directional links with features described in the context of FIGS.14-15 with tower 1610 using massive MIMO beamforming capabilities. Suchlinks labeled as 1601, 1602, 1603, 1604 and 1605 can work in bothline-of-sight and non-line of sight environment and can providealternate communication path to wireless communication nodes 131, 132,133, 134 and 135 in an event where point-to-point or point-to-multipointlinks that connect one wireless communication node to a peer wirelesscommunication node to form a mesh network fails or experienceperformance degradation due to various reasons including but not limitedto change on the line-of-sight profile of millimeter wave link betweentwo wireless communication nodes.

In FIG. 16, only one tower (i.e., tower 1610) capable of massive MIMOpoint-to-multipoint communication is shown to be connected to fivewireless communication nodes 131-135. However, it should be understoodthat a communication system can also have more than one tower, eachconnected to multiple different wireless communication nodes hostingvarious other modules.

In areas within tower 1500's (and other towers of same type) coveragearea, a given communication network can initially start in apoint-to-multipoint manner, where tower 1500 (and other towers of sametype) provides access to individual customers using sub 6 Ghz massiveMIMO point-multipoint beams. Later, nodes in the given communicationnetwork can opportunistically connect with other nodes using regularmodules (e.g. Module A/Module B/Module C) in the presence ofline-of-sight. This way, the given communication network may evolve intoa mesh network with point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connectionbetween nodes in addition to each communication node having a pathdirectly (non-line-of-sight) to tower 1500 (and other towers of sametype) that fall within the coverage area.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a route a givenpacket takes from a source to a destination in this network may beoptimized by considering various factors including latency, congestion,reliability etc. One of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciatethat a given communication network can later add seed homes (e.g., seedhomes 111 and 115 in FIG. 1) along with tower/fiber access points 101and 102 to provide alternate backhaul as per need basis.

In another embodiment, instead of providing massive MIMOpoint-to-multipoint networking capability using a terrestrial tower,point-to-multipoint massive MIMO capability to networks wirelesscommunication nodes can also be provided by a satellite for example alow earth orbit (LEO) satellite. For example, referring to FIG. 17,communication system 1700 is shown that is similar to communicationsystem 100 and has all the components described in the context ofFIG. 1. Additionally, system 1700 of FIG. 17 includes a satellite 1710which is capable of massive MIMO transmission and reception onfrequencies including but not limited to 5-6 Ghz, similar to tower 1500described in the context of FIG. 15. In contrast to communication system100 in FIG. 1, wireless communication nodes 131, 132, 133, 134 and 135host an additional Module D (besides Module A/Module B or Module C) thatenables these wireless communication nodes to optionally establishbi-directional links with features described in the context of FIGS.14-15 with satellite 1710 using massive MIMO beamforming capabilities.Such links labelled as 1701, 1702, 1703, 1704 and 1705 can providealternate communication path to wireless communication nodes 131, 132,133, 134 and 135 in an event where point-to-point or point-to-multipointlinks that connect one wireless communication node to a peer wirelesscommunication node to form a mesh network fails or experienceperformance degradation due to various reasons including but not limitedto change on the line-of-sight profile of millimeter wave link betweentwo wireless communication nodes.

In FIG. 17, only one satellite 1710 capable of massive MIMOpoint-to-multipoint communication is shown to be connected to fivewireless communication nodes 131-135. However, it should be understoodthat a communication system can also have more than one satellite, eachconnected to multiple different wireless communication nodes hostingvarious other modules.

In another embodiment, some of the wireless communication nodes thatprovide backhaul functionality can be equipped with multiplecommunication modules that enable these wireless communication nodes toprovide transport backhaul data between an end user and a network usingmultiple different types of communication links. For example, referringto FIG. 18, communication system 1800 is shown that is similar tocommunication system 100 and has all the components described in thecontext of FIG. 1. Additionally, system 1800 of FIG. 18 includes asatellite 1810 which is capable of massive MIMO transmission andreception on frequencies including but not limited to 5-6 Ghz, similarto tower 1500 described in the context of FIG. 15. System 1800 alsoincludes a massive MIMO cable tower 1820 which is also similar to tower1500 described in the context of FIG. 15.

In contrast to communication system 100 in FIG. 1, wirelesscommunication nodes 131, 132, 133, 134 and 135 host an additional ModuleD (besides Module A/Module B or Module C) that enables these wirelesscommunication nodes to optionally establish bi-directional links withfeatures described in the context of FIGS. 14-15 with satellite 1810 andtower 1820 using massive MIMO beamforming capabilities. Such linkslabeled as 1801, 1802, 1803 and 1804 can provide an alternatecommunication path to wireless communication nodes 131, 132, 133, 134and 135 in an event where point-to-point or point-to-multipoint linksthat connect one wireless communication node to a peer wirelesscommunication node to form a mesh network fails or experienceperformance degradation due to various reasons, including but notlimited to change in the line-of-sight profile of a millimeter wave linkbetween two wireless communication nodes. Specifically, satellite 1810in FIG. 18 is connected to seed home 115 using wireless communicationnode 135 via link 1804 and to anchor home 112 using wirelesscommunication node 132 via link 1803. Seed home 115 thus has multipleoptions to route backhaul traffic to the network.

In one embodiment, seed home 115 using wireless communication node 135at a given time can pick a satellite link 1804 to transport backhauldata, and based on some trigger at a different time, instruct wirelesscommunication module 135 to switch links for backhaul data transmissionfrom 1804 to a point-to-point or point-to-multipoint millimeter wave(e.g. E-band) based link coupled to tower/fiber access point 102. Suchtrigger may include latency, bandwidth, packet loss requirements, etc.of a particular application.

FIG. 18 also shows an end user home 113 where wireless communicationnode 133 transports the data using anchor home 112's wirelesscommunication node 132. Wireless communication node 132 is shown to havemultiple options to transport end user data of home 113, includingdirect satellite link connection using 1803, in-direct satellite linkconnection using 1804 via anchor node 135, or though point topoint/point-multi-point connections using millimeter wave through towers101 or 102 via seed homes 111 and 115 respectively, among other options.

In one embodiment, wireless communication node 132 can dynamicallyswitch its connection link to route data to and from end user home 113.For example, due to some trigger similar to the triggers describedabove, wireless communication node 132 can dynamically switch fromsatellite link 1803 to satellite link 1804 via wireless communicationnode 135 to transport data to and from end user home 113.

It should be understood that links 1803 and 1804 can be part of samemassive MIMO beam or links 1803 and 1804 can be part of differentmassive MIMO beams. It should also be understood that satellite links1802 and 1804 can use the same frequency range of communications or canoperate in different frequency ranges. Further, while FIG. 18 shows onlyone satellite (i.e., satellite 1810) capable of massive MIMOpoint-to-multipoint communication that is connected to two wirelesscommunication nodes 132 and 135, it should be understood that acommunication system can also have more than one satellite, eachconnected to multiple different wireless communication nodes hostingvarious other modules.

As further shown in FIG. 18, tower 1820 is connected to seed home 111using wireless communication node 135 via link 1804 and to anchor home112 using wireless communication node 131 via link 1801 and to anchorhome 114 using wireless communication node 134 via link 1802. Thisprovides anchor home 114 with options to route packets to the network inmultiple ways including (a) through point-to-point orpoint-to-multipoint millimeter wave-based links 152 or 155, and (b) viadirect massive MIMO based link to tower 1820 via link 1802.

Similarly, seed home 111 has multiple options to route backhaul trafficto the network. In one embodiment, seed home 111 using wirelesscommunication node 131 at a given time can pick a satellite link 1801 totransport backhaul data and based on some trigger at a different time,instruct wireless communication module 131 to switch links for backhauldata transmission from 1801 to a point-to-point or point-to-multipointmillimeter wave (e.g. E-band) based link coupled to tower/fiber accesspoint 101. Such trigger may include latency, bandwidth, packet lossrequirements, etc. of a particular application.

In FIG. 18, only one tower (i.e., tower 1820) capable of massive MIMOpoint-to-multipoint communication is shown to be connected to twowireless communication nodes 131 and 134. However, it should beunderstood that a communication system can also have a different numberof massive MIMO towers, each connected to multiple different wirelesscommunication nodes hosting various other modules.

In another embodiment, one or more wireless communication nodesdescribed above and discussed with respect to FIGS. 1-18 mayadditionally be an edge computing node by hosting a processor (separateor shared), memory, digital contents, software, and storage, among othercomponents for computing, and other required operations for edgecomputing, in addition to the high speed low latency networkingcapability that has already been described above. This enables a givencommunication system to provide cloud services in a distributed mannercloser to an end user as wireless communication nodes are distributedacross the network and provide an interface between the network and anend-user. This memory unit can store a copy of local digital contentsand can additionally store portions of digital content that that are notlocal. The non-local digital contents among other things can includedigital content belonging to other nodes. This provides contentredundancy in a communication system. Hence, when an end user of acommunication system requests for digital content, then this edgecomputing mechanism allows a request to be fulfilled in a variety ofdifferent ways, including a request processed by a local node and/orremote node based on various criteria including but not limited tolatency, network congestion, etc. of the application making the request.

In another embodiment, one or more wireless communication nodesdescribed above and discussed with respect to FIGS. 1-18 canadditionally be a blockchain node by hosting a computer comprising atleast one processor, memory, digital content, software, etc., which isconnected to a blockchain network comprising a client that is capable ofstoring, validating and/or relaying transactions in addition to thehigh-speed low latency networking capability that has already beendescribed above. This enables the communication system and its nodesdescribed in this disclosure and discussed in the context of FIGS. 1-18to provide an ideal platform for blockchain databases, enterpriseblockchain databases, permissioned/private blockchains, hybrid and othersimilar types of databases given that (1) file/data/record storage spaceis inherently distributed as wireless communication nodes aredistributed across the geographical coverage area and (2) low latencycommunication between the nodes and across the network due to high speedwireless links enable improved latency and improves the transactionthroughput of the blockchain based databases.

In another preferred embodiment, one or more wireless communicationnodes can additionally act as blockchain-based distributed data storagenode by adding dedicated or shared storage capacity capability to thesenodes. One key advantage of implementing blockchain-based distributeddata storage on a given communication system and the wirelesscommunication nodes described in this disclosure is that storage nodesare inherently distributed, and due to the low latency and highbandwidth of the wireless communication links between the wirelesscommunication node described above and the proximity of the storagelocation nodes to an end-user, accessing the data content can be fastercompared to other approaches.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the wireless mesh networknode equipment (point-to-point link modules, point-to-multipoint linkmodules, multiple point-to-point link modules, combination of multiplepoint-to-point and point-to-multipoint links, antennas for cellularsmall cells/CPEs and mmWave equipment, cable, mounts, power supplyboxes, etc.) that gets deployed and installed on a rooftop of a privateinfrastructure such as a single-family home can be consumer financed.For instance, in case of a customer meeting a certain credit scorethreshold (or any other credit checking criteria), the equipmentrequired to add a millimeter wave mesh node at the customer's premises(i.e., to add the customer to the wireless mesh network) and providehigh speed internet service may be financed by a bank on the behalf ofthe customer, and the customer may agree with the financing bank tore-pay the amount financed by the bank over a certain time period bymaking periodic (e.g. monthly) payments based on the terms andconditions of the agreement. This way, the customer becomes owner of theequipment (a wireless mesh network node) once the full financed amountis made to the financing bank. This customer can in one embodiment leaseback the wireless mesh network node equipment installed on its propertyto the wireless mesh network operator that installed the wireless meshnetwork equipment on its property and provide high speed internet dataservice. In another embodiment, this customer can lease back thewireless mesh network node equipment installed on its property to thewireless mesh network operator that installed the wireless mesh networkequipment on its property and provide high speed internet data servicefor a certain term (e.g., 18 months, 24 months, 36 months, etc.).

In some instances, this customer may be required to lease back theequipment to only that operator which originally installed the equipmentat the customer location and provided high speed internet data services.In other instances, this customer can lease back the equipment to anywireless internet network operator. In another instance, lease back ofthe equipment to an operator other than the operator which originallyinstalled the network equipment at the customer location may only occurwith the permission of the wireless internet network operator thatoriginally installed that equipment at customer location. In yet anotherinstance, such lease back to a different wireless internet networkoperator may only occur after expiration of the lease term with theoriginal wireless internet network operator.

For a wireless internet network operator building and operating awireless mesh network, the type of customer financing-based networkdeployment described above becomes a crowd sourcing orcrowdfunding-based infrastructure roll out mechanism, where instead ofone or few large entities, CAPEX is sourced from a pool of individualswho in some instances are the customers of the wireless mesh networkoperator. Such customers can get high speed internet data service fromthe wireless mesh network operator (operating using ptp/ptmp modules,other communication nodes and equipment and various variations discussedearlier in this disclosure) at a subsidized/discounted rate. In certaincases, such customers may get two separate bills periodically, one forthe high-speed internet data service and other for the equipmentfinancing from bank. In another case, customers can get a singleconsolidated bill from a wireless mesh operator.

In some instances, all customers of a wireless mesh operator can bebased on consumer financing explained above in a neighborhood or marketwhere wireless mesh operator offers its high-speed internet dataservice. In other instances, wireless mesh network's customers in amarket or neighborhood can be financed through a variety of differentways including operator financing where wireless mesh operator pays forthe equipment of the wireless mesh node, financed through bundling witha private utility or service that has a relatively smaller market size(e.g. home security/automation, solar energy, etc.) compared to marketsize of the high speed internet where a bundled service is offered andwireless mesh operator uses the marketing/sales commission received fromthe private utility or service provider to fund the wireless mesh nodeequipment, financed through the revenue generated from runningblockchain platform based services on the wireless mesh network nodesalong with the consumer/customer based financing that is explainedearlier in the disclosure.

Further, in accordance with the present disclosure, the communicationsequipment including various types of ptp/ptmp modules, cellular smallcell, etc. that were described above can be used to establish multiplepoint-to-point and/or point-to-multiple links where both network nodesof a wireless link, one from where a link originates and the second fromwhere a link terminates (in general, nodes can switch roles dynamicallybetween link originator and link terminator based on the direction ofdata flow), are located at the different customer locations andproviding high speed internet service to the dwellers of the propertywhere wireless mesh network node is deployed and installed. In somecases, one of the two nodes of the link can be at a location where thedeployed equipment provides high speed internet service to the dwellersof the property at that location. In other instances, both nodes of thelink may be at a location where the deployed equipment does not providehigh speed internet service to the dwellers of the property at thatlocation.

It should be understood that the length of the communication links of awireless mesh network describe above may vary. For instance, the lengthof the communication links of a wireless mesh network established withthe help of the various communication modules and equipment describedabove may be less than 300 meters on average. Alternatively, the lengthof the communication links of a wireless mesh network can be greaterthan 300 meters on average as well.

In accordance with the present disclosure, further disclosed herein arecommunication modules that employ direct RF (microwave/millimeterwave)-to-optical and direct Optical-to-RF (microwave/millimeter wave)conversion. In one example implementation, the high-speed photodetectors can be used that directly translate an optical signal into amicrowave signal. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatother approaches can be used for direct optical-to-RF conversion.Similarly, a dipole antenna directly coupled to a plasmonic modulatorallows direct conversion from the RF to the optical world. One ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate that different approaches canbe used for direct conversion of RF signals to optical signals. Thisdirect optical-to-RF and direct RF-to-Optical conversion moduleseliminate the need of the use of analog to digital and digital to analog(ADC/DAC) modules that are required by traditional modemimplementations. These mixed signal components (i.e., ADC/DAC) consumehigh amount of power and also increase the cost as each antenna isrequired to be connected to a separate ADC/DAC modules.

FIG. 19 shows a communication module based on direct RF-to-Optical anddirect Optical-to-RF conversion. Communication module of FIG. 19contains a single direct RF-to-Optical sub-module and a singleOptical-to-RF sub-module. However, communication module of FIG. 19 canhost any integer number of direct RF-to-Optical sub-modules greater thanor equal to zero and any integer number of direct Optical-to-RFsub-modules greater than or equal to zero. In one example embodiment,this direct RF-to-Optical and direct Optical-to-RF conversion technologycan be implemented is an integrated Circuit (IC) or chip.

Based on the above explanation with respect to the example communicationmodule of FIG. 19, in an example embodiment, the core of the wirelessmesh network can be a wireline optical or wired router/switch where eachport is mapped, either through a direct connection or over optical/wiredline, to an individual direct conversion Optical-to-RF or RF-to-Opticalchip that then focuses, on both receiver and transmitter side, all RFenergy into a high gain narrow beam that can be both fixed or steerable.In one example embodiment, a standard 8-port×10G router/switch could beused, with one port being used as a data drop to local building/site andthe other 7 ports being connected over a fiber optic cable to variousOptical-to-RF or RF-to-Optical end points that are located at multipledistributed locations external (and/or internal) on/in the building/siteas shown in FIG. 20. One of ordinary skill in the art will understandthat the router/switch can have a different number of ports as well.

These multiple distributed locations can be determined in advance basedon the use of connection potentiality optimization algorithms, where thealgorithm understands the relationship between end point placement andpotentially connection partners. Also, the individual PtP beams can bedynamically steered among potential PtP connection partners tofacilitate path optimization algorithms and/or to respond to networkcongestion and/or network element failures. In one embodiment, theseOptical-to-RF or RF-to-Optical end points that establish ptp/ptmp beamscan be placed below a roof's eaves and in other embodiments, these endpoints can be placed above a roof's eaves. In some other embodiments,some of the Optical-to-RF or RF-to-Optical end points can be placedbelow a roof's eaves and some can be placed above a roof's eaves andactual placement may depend upon the line-of-sight profile of thelocation/site.

It should be understood that the example communication module discussedin the context of FIGS. 19-20 can be implemented in other communicationmodules that were discussed in the context of FIGS. 1-18. For instance,the modules discussed in the context of FIGS. 1-18 can have directRF-to-Optical and direct Optical-to-RF technology embedded such that thenarrow beam, extremely narrow beam, and/or ptp/ptmp/multiple ptp linkscan be established without the need for ADC/DAC mixed signal circuitrythat consumes a high amount of power and requires to be connectedindividually with each antenna.

In accordance with the present disclosure, a modified version of thecommunication nodes discussed earlier for building a wireless meshnetwork will now be discussed. In one embodiment, a communication nodecan be a flexible millimeter wave radio equipment capable ofestablishing multiple point-to-point and/or point-to-multipoint linksoperating over millimeter wave frequencies and can comprise 3 differentsub-modules: (1) digital/network module, (2) point-to-point radiomodule, and (3) point-to-multipoint radio module. A digital/networkmodule is responsible for interfacing the above millimeter wave radiobox (communication node) with a backhaul or fiber network. Specifically,it provides switching capability to direct traffic between thepoint-to-point or point-to-multipoint radio modules of the millimeterwave radio box (communication node) and the fiber or backhaul network.The connectivity between a single or multiple point-to-point and/orpoint-to-multipoint radio modules of the millimeter wave radio box andthe backhaul or fiber network can be based over a variety of interfacesincluding but not limited to PCP/PCI express bus interface and ethernet.

In one embodiment, PCI/PCIe can be used when a point-to-point orpoint-to-multi-point radio that needs to be connected is enclosed in thesame box with a digital/network module and separation between thedigital/network module and the point-to-point module is limited to fewinches such as 3-6 inches or less.

In one embodiment, a digital/network module provides connectivity to asingle point-to-point or point-to-multipoint module over a singlePCI/PCIe bus interface. In a different embodiment, a digital/networkmodule provides connectivity to 3 point-to-point or 3point-to-multipoint or a combination of 3point-to-point/point-to-multipoint modules over three separate PCI/PCIebus interfaces. In another embodiment, a digital/network module providesconnectivity to N point-to-point or N point-to-multipoint or acombination of N point-to-point/point-to-multipoint modules over Nseparate PCI/PCIe bus interfaces, where N is a positive integer numbergreater than zero.

An ethernet interface such as an RJ45 port with multi-gigabit support,including but not limited to 1 Gb, 2.5 Gb, 5 Gb, 10 Gb, etc., can beused to connect point-to-point or point-to-multipoint radio modules witha digital/network module. In one embodiment, an ethernet interface canbe used when the point-to-point or point-to-multi-point radio that needsto be connected is not enclosed in the same box with a digital/networkmodule and separation between digital/network module and thepoint-to-point module is greater than 3-6 inches. In some embodiments,the length can be 10 meters or more.

In one embodiment, a digital/network module provides capability ofconnecting up to 4 point-to-point/point-to-multipoint radios or up to 3point-to-point/point-to-multipoint radio and a small cell over 4ethernet interfaces. In a different embodiment, a digital/network moduleprovides capability of connecting up to Npoint-to-point/point-to-multipoint radios or up to N−1point-to-point/point-to-multipoint radio and a small cell over Nethernet interfaces, where N is a positive integer number greater thanzero. Digital/network module also contains SFP/SFP+ interface or anyother interface to connect digital/network module with fiber/backhaulnetwork.

The point-to-multipoint radio module of the communication node discussedabove is responsible for establishing point-to-multipoint millimeterwave based bi-directional links to connect to peer millimeter waveradios in the network. point-to-multipoint radio module consists ofbaseband sub-module and RF module. Baseband module handles the basebandprocessing and among other aspects is responsible for basebandprocessing related to beamforming. RF module contains phased antennaarray that works in conjunction with baseband module to generatepoint-to-multipoint millimeter wave beams.

The point-to-point radio module of the communication node describedabove is responsible for establishing point-to-point millimeter wavebased bi-directional links to connect to a peer millimeter wave radio inthe network. The point-to-point radio module comprises a basebandsub-module, RF module and beam narrowing module. The baseband modulehandles the baseband processing and, among other aspects, is responsiblefor baseband processing related to beamforming. RF module containsphased antenna array that works in conjunction with baseband module togenerate point-to-point millimeter wave beam. A beam narrowing module isresponsible for narrowing the beam by focusing most of the radiatedsignal energy in the desired direction and lowering the antenna sidelobes to minimize the interference in a mesh network.

In one embodiment, the beam narrowing module can be a lens antennaintegrated with an RF module. In another embodiment, the beam narrowingmodule can be a parabolic antenna integrated with an RF module. In yetanother embodiment, the beam narrowing module could be a module otherthan a lens or parabolic antenna and rely on a different approach tonarrow the beam originating from a phased array based RF module.

Referring to FIG. 21, a logical block diagram of the communicationmodule described above is shown. As explained earlier, a flexiblemillimeter wave radio node contains within an enclosure (typicallyoutdoor) a digital/network module that has a network processing unit andis configured to provide network switch operations between the fiberoptic backhaul interface and the point-to-point or point-to-multipointradio modules either connected via PCI/PCIe interface or via multigigabit ethernet ports. A flexible millimeter wave radio module alsocontains within the enclosure 3 point-to-point or point-to-multipointradios. For providing mesh network deployment flexibility, a node canalso be connected to external ptp/ptmp radios via ethernet ports. A nodecan be solar powered or can be powered via electric power outlet of thehome where the node is installed. FIG. 21 also shows that this flexiblemillimeter wave radio node may only need a single network processingunit (NPU) that controls all the point-to-point or point-to-multipointRF modules either connected via a PCI/PCIe interface or via a multigigabit ethernet interface. Hence this example flexible millimeter waveradio node removes the need for using a dedicated NPU for each ptp/ptmpRF module.

FIG. 22 shows a block diagram of a ptmp radio module of thecommunication node described above. As shown, this radio module containsa baseband module and a RF module that has the phase antenna array forproviding beamforming capability.

FIG. 23 shows a block diagram of the ptp radio module of thecommunication node discussed above. This radio module contains abaseband module, an RF module that has the phase antenna array forproviding beamforming capability, along with a beam narrowing module.The beam narrowing module, based on various techniques discussedearlier, narrows the beam generated by the phase antenna array of the RFmodule.

Referring to FIG. 24, various different use cases of the communicationnode described above and explained in the context of FIGS. 21-23 isshown. FIG. 24 shows a mesh network comprising 5 communication nodes3700. Communication nodes 3700 may each be a flexible millimeter wavecommunication node that has been discussed earlier.

At “Site A” of the mesh network, a communication node 3700 may be solarpowered and mounted on the pole. This node 3700 at Site A may have 3 ptplinks generated by 3 ptp radio modules integrated with thedigital/network module. At “Site B,” a communication node 3700 may bepowered with an electric power outlet of the home and may have one ptplink via a single integrated ptp radio module and 2 ptmp links via twoptmp radio modules that are not integrated with a digital/network modulebut instead connected via ethernet interface to the communication node.Similarly, at “Site C,” a communication node 3700 may be powered with anelectric power outlet of the home and may have two ptp links via twointegrated ptp radio module and one ptmp radio module integrated with adigital/network module. At “Site E,” a communication node 3700 may bepowered with an electric power outlet of the home and may have two ptplinks via two integrated ptp radio module. Further, at “Site D,” acommunication node 3700 may be powered with an electric power outlet ofthe home and may have two ptp links via two integrated ptp radio moduleand one ptmp radio module integrated with the digital/network module.

It should be understood that FIG. 24 is described in such a manner forthe sake of clarity and explanation and that the example mesh networkdescribed in FIG. 24 may take various other forms as well. For instance,the example mesh network may include more or less communication nodes,and a given communication node may take various other forms and may bemounted in various other manners and/or mounted on various other objectsas well (e.g., mounted on a pedestal). Further, the example mesh networkmay have various different configurations of ptp or ptmp modules eitherintegrated or connected via an ethernet interface and powered viavarious different power options.

Another important aspect of communication node 3700 is that theintegrated radio modules can be pluggable. In other words, based on aspecific use case, the number and types of radio modules integrated witha digital/network module via PCI/PCIe interface can easily be changed byplugging in the desired number and type of radio modules with fullflexibility instead of have one specific configuration.

So far the modified version of communication node discussed above andalso described in the context of FIGS. 21-24 assumes that thepoint-to-point or point-to-multipoint modules connected to adigital/network module with an NPU via a high speed interface (e.g.,PCI/PCIe/Thunderbolt) are also located inside a same enclosure. Itshould be understood that the point-to-point or point-to-multipointmodules connected to a digital/network module via high speed interfacecan also be located outside the digital/network module with the NPU andinside an independent box/enclosure connected via an outdoor cablesupporting the PCI/PCIe/Thunderbolt high speed communication protocol tothe enclosure of the digital/network module.

As one example, FIG. 25 depicts a modified version of a flexiblemillimeter wave radio box, where the point-to-point orpoint-to-multipoint RF modules are located outside a digital/networkmodule with NPU enclosure and inside separate independent box/enclosureand connected via an outdoor wired cable capable of supporting highspeed communication interface (e.g., PCI/PCIe/Thunderbolt Interface). Asshown, 3 point-to-point or point-to-multipoint modules are connected viaPCIe/Thunderbolt interfaces to the digital/network module with the NPUusing a compatible outdoor cable.

In general, it should be understood that N number of point-to-point orpoint-to-multipoint modules in separate independent enclosures can beconnected via a PCIe/Thunderbolt compatible outdoor cable, where N is aninteger greater than zero. It should also be understood that the lengthof the outdoor cable compatible with high speed communication protocol,such as PCIe/thunderbolt, depends on the maximum limit defined by thetechnology. In one embodiment, PCIe/thunderbolt cable can be up to 3meters. In other embodiments, the length of the outdoorPCI/PCIe/thunderbolt compatible cable can be less than or greater than 3meters.

Example embodiments of the disclosed innovations have been describedabove. At noted above, it should be understood that the figures areprovided for the purpose of illustration and description only and thatvarious components (e.g., modules) illustrated in the figures above canbe added, removed, and/or rearranged into different configurations, orutilized as a basis for modifying and/or designing other configurationsfor carrying out the example operations disclosed herein. In thisrespect, those skilled in the art will understand that changes andmodifications may be made to the embodiments described above withoutdeparting from the true scope and spirit of the present invention, whichwill be defined by the claims.

Further, to the extent that examples described herein involve operationsperformed or initiated by actors, such as humans, operators, users orother entities, this is for purposes of example and explanation only.Claims should not be construed as requiring action by such actors unlessexplicitly recited in claim language.

What is claimed is:
 1. A first wireless communication node comprising: afirst communication module that includes: a first baseband unitconfigured to handle baseband processing for the first communicationmodule; a first RF unit configured to define a frequency range of radiosignals for the first communication module; and a first antenna unitconfigured to generate a first extremely-narrow beam that facilitatesestablishing a first bidirectional, extremely-narrow-beam wirelesscommunication link for exchanging radio signals with at least a secondwireless communication node; and a second communication module thatincludes: a second baseband unit configured to handle basebandprocessing for the second communication module; a second RF unitconfigured to define a frequency range of radio signals for the secondcommunication module; and a second antenna unit configured to generate asecond extremely-narrow beam that facilitates establishing a secondbidirectional, extremely-narrow-beam wireless communication link forexchanging radio signals with at least a third wireless communicationnode.
 2. The first wireless communication node of claim 1, wherein thefirst and second extremely-narrow beams each comprise a main lobe and atleast two side lobes, and wherein a power level of each side lobe dropsat a rapid rate relative to a power level of the main lobe.
 3. The firstwireless communication node of claim 2, wherein the side lobes are eachwithin 5 to 6 degrees of the main lobe.
 4. The first wirelesscommunication node of claim 1, wherein each of the second and thirdwireless communication nodes comprises a respective one of a pluralityof wireless communication nodes that are concentrated within a smallarea and are operating in a same frequency range.
 5. The first wirelesscommunication node of claim 1, wherein the first communication module isconfigured to: while the first bidirectional extremely-narrow-beamwireless communication link is established with the second wirelesscommunication node, (a) cause the first antenna unit to steer the firstextremely-narrow beam away from the second wireless communication nodeand towards a fourth wireless communication node and (b) establish athird bidirectional extremely-narrow-beam wireless communication linkwith the fourth wireless communication node.
 6. The first wirelesscommunication node of claim 1, wherein the first communication module isconfigured to cause the first antenna unit to steer the firstextremely-narrow beam away from the second wireless communication nodein response to at least one of (a) detecting that there is no longer aline-of-sight (LOS) path to the second wireless communication node, (b)detecting increased interference between the first wirelesscommunication node and the second wireless communication node, or (c)detecting that the second wireless communication node has changedposition.
 7. The first wireless communication node of claim 1, whereinthe first antenna unit and the second antenna unit each comprise (a) anantenna constructed with metamaterials, (b) a parabolic antenna, or (c)a lens antenna.
 8. The first wireless communication node of claim 1,wherein the first and second extremely-narrow beams each have a 3dB-beam width of less than 1 degree.
 9. The first wireless communicationnode of claim 1, wherein the first and second extremely-narrow beamseach have a 3 dB-beam width of between 0.5 degrees and 5 degrees. 10.The first wireless communication node of claim 1, wherein the first andsecond communication modules are either (a) housed within a singlephysical enclosure or (b) housed in separate physical enclosures andcoupled via a wired link.
 11. The first wireless communication node ofclaim 1, wherein the first and second communication modules either (a)operate on a same carrier frequency or (b) operate on differentrespective carrier frequencies.
 12. The first wireless communicationnode of claim 1, further comprising: a third communication module thatincludes a third baseband unit having an embedded ultra-wide band (UWB)antenna that facilitates exchange of radio signals with at least oneother a fourth wireless communication node, wherein the third basebandunit having the embedded UWB antenna is configured to transmit UWB radiosignals over a wide range of frequencies using extremely-short-durationpulses.
 13. A first wireless communication node comprising: a firstcommunication module that includes: a first baseband unit configured tohandle baseband processing for the first communication module; a firstRF unit configured to define a frequency range of radio signals for thefirst communication module; and an antenna unit configured to generatean extremely-narrow beam that facilitates establishing a bidirectional,extremely-narrow-beam wireless communication link for exchanging radiosignals with at least a second wireless communication node; and a secondcommunication module that includes: a second baseband unit configured tohandle baseband processing for the second communication module; a secondRF unit configured to define a frequency range of radio signals for thesecond communication module; and an active antenna system (AAS) thatcomprises a phased array of transmitters and receivers configured togenerate a plurality of beams in different directions that facilitateestablishing respective bidirectional, wireless communication links forexchanging radio signals with a plurality of other wirelesscommunication nodes that includes at least a third wirelesscommunication node, wherein the plurality of beams are not extremelynarrow.
 14. The first wireless communication node of claim 13, wherein:the extremely-narrow beam generated by the antenna unit comprises a mainlobe and at least two side lobes, and wherein a power level of each sidelobe drops at a rapid rate relative to a power level of the main lobe;and the plurality of beams generated by the AAS each comprise arespective main lobe and at least two respective side lobes, and whereina power level of each side lobe does not drop at a rapid rate relativeto a power level of the main lobe.
 15. The first wireless communicationnode of claim 13, wherein the bidirectional extremely-narrow-beamwireless communication link with the second wireless communication nodecomprises a first bidirectional extremely-narrow-beam wirelesscommunication link, and wherein the second communication module isconfigured to: after detecting that the first communication module haschanged a direction of the extremely-narrow beam of the antenna unitsuch that the first communication module no longer has the firstbidirectional extremely-narrow-beam wireless communication linkestablished with the second wireless communication node and the firstcommunication module has instead established a second bidirectionalextremely-narrow-beam wireless communication link with the thirdwireless communication node, (a) disconnect the second bidirectionalextremely-narrow-beam wireless communication link with the thirdwireless communication node and (b) establish a third bidirectionalextremely-narrow-beam wireless communication link with the secondwireless communication node.
 16. The first wireless communication nodeof claim 13, wherein the antenna unit comprises (a) an antennaconstructed with metamaterials, (b) a parabolic antenna, or (c) a lensantenna.
 17. The first wireless communication node of claim 13, wherein:the extremely-narrow beam has a 3 dB-beam width of less than 1 degree;and the plurality of beams each have a 3 dB-beam width of between 7degrees and 10 degrees.
 18. The first wireless communication node ofclaim 13, wherein: the extremely-narrow beam has a 3 dB-beam width ofbetween 0.5 degrees and 5 degrees; and the plurality of beams each havea 3 dB-beam width of between 7 degrees and 10 degrees.
 19. The firstwireless communication node of claim 13, wherein the first and secondcommunication modules are either (a) housed within a single physicalenclosure or (b) housed in separate physical enclosures and coupled viaa wired link.
 20. The first wireless communication node of claim 13,wherein the plurality of beams generated by the AAS each operate in asame frequency range.
 21. The first wireless communication node of claim13, further comprising: a third communication module that includes athird baseband unit having an embedded ultra-wide band (UWB) antennathat facilitates exchange of radio signals with at least a fourthwireless communication node, wherein the third baseband unit having theembedded UWB antenna is configured to transmit UWB radio signals over awide range of frequencies using extremely-short-duration pulses.
 22. Acommunication system comprising: a first wireless communication nodecomprising at least first and second communication modules; a secondwireless communication node comprising at least a third communicationmodule; and a third wireless communication node comprising at least afourth communication module; wherein the first communication module ofthe first wireless communication node includes: a first baseband unitconfigured to handle baseband processing for the first communicationmodule; a first RF unit configured to define a frequency range of radiosignals for the first communication module; and a first antenna unitconfigured to generate a first extremely-narrow beam that facilitatesestablishing a first bidirectional, extremely-narrow-beam wirelesscommunication link for exchanging radio signals with at least the secondwireless communication node; and wherein the second communication moduleof the first wireless communication node includes: a second basebandunit configured to handle baseband processing for the secondcommunication module; a second RF unit configured to define a frequencyrange of radio signals for the second communication module; and a givenone of (a) a second antenna unit configured to generate a secondextremely-narrow beam that facilitates establishing a secondbidirectional, extremely-narrow-beam wireless communication link forexchanging radio signals with at least the third wireless communicationnode or (b) a first active antenna system (AAS) that comprises a phasedarray of transmitters and receivers configured to generate a firstplurality of beams in different directions that facilitate establishingrespective bidirectional, wireless communication links for exchangingradio signals with a first plurality of other wireless communicationnodes that includes at least the third wireless communication node,wherein the first plurality of beams are not extremely narrow; whereinthe third communication module of the second wireless communication nodeincludes: a third baseband unit configured to handle baseband processingfor the third communication module; a third RF unit configured to definea frequency range of radio signals for the third communication module;and a third antenna unit configured to generate a third extremely-narrowbeam that facilitates establishing the first bidirectional,extremely-narrow-beam wireless communication link for exchanging radiosignals with at least the first wireless communication node; and whereinthe fourth communication module of the third wireless communication nodeincludes: a fourth baseband unit configured to handle basebandprocessing for the fourth communication module; a fourth RF unitconfigured to define a frequency range of radio signals for the fourthcommunication module; and a given one of (a) a fourth antenna unitconfigured to generate a fourth extremely-narrow beam that facilitatesestablishing the second bidirectional, extremely-narrow-beam wirelesscommunication link for exchanging radio signals with at least the firstwireless communication node or (b) a second AAS that comprises a phasedarray of transmitters and receivers configured to generate a secondplurality of beams in different directions that facilitate establishingrespective bidirectional, wireless communication links for exchangingradio signals with a second plurality of other wireless communicationnodes that includes at least the first wireless communication node,wherein the second plurality of beams are not extremely narrow.